Brockhall
by Emporor Pinguin
Summary: Young Mattimeo becomes abbot and rediscovers Brockhall...


Disclaimer: I do not own Redwall. (It was the 2nd cousin of my enemy's cousin's stepmother who told me.)  
  
Brockhall  
  
Chapter I  
  
Mattimeo woke up suddenly. There were loud and sharp noises clashing outside the abbey. He was scared. Very scared.  
~ Finally the noises stopped. He stepped outside of the dormitories. It was very silent (except for Rollo's snoring). All of a sudden, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and he scurried behind the doorway. When the footsteps reached the top, Mattimeo could hear them talking: 'We must get him to the sickbay before it's too late.'  
~ Then he heard a multitude of other people passing by. He risked a peek. They were carrying bodies! But just then, Constance saw him and said: 'Off to bed you little varmint'! in a kind of fake cheery tone. He went back to bed.  
  
~  
  
Next morning, in the great hall, Sister Ceciley announced: -'Last night a very terrible thing happened. A band of around 3 score of foxes attacked the abbey. We managed to drive them off, but a few of our people were hurt and two of them dead. I shall now announce these names and we shall honor them, for they have died while defending our abbey: Skipper of otters (people wept a lot) and Abbot Mortimer' (people wept a bit.). So we must decide who will be in charge of the abbey.' Around eight score of people yelled out 'Constance'! Sister Ceciley asked the badger mother: 'Do you want to'? 'Yes', said confidently Constance. Sister Ceciley asked: 'Who wants Constance as the person in charge of Redwall'? Most of the hands went up. 'Then Constance it is!' she exclaimed. 'We must also choose a skipper of otters.' The otters yelled out 'Brogg'! And so the new skipper was Brogg. (They had the funerals the next day).  
  
Chapter II  
  
Many seasons later.  
  
Mattimeo and his friends, Diggum the mole and Rollo, who was younger but good company, were picking apples in the orchard. Basil the hare, who was passing by, started eyeing their apples greedily. 'Jolly good day for picking apples, wot wot!' 'Thank you' said Rollo. At that same moment, Basil plunged at their basket of apples. Mattimeo dropped out of the tree and tried to wrench Basil off the basket. He got him off, but not before he had eaten all the apples. At that moment, Constance interrupted. 'Shameful display, Basil, trying to take apples from your youngers!' 'Wot, was I doing something?' 'You cannot deny it. I heard it all. Go strait to Sister Ceciley and say that you came on my part because you did something wrong. She will give you something to do.' she said.  
~  
  
Later that day, Constance was talking to Mattimeo. 'I think I am getting too old for ruling the abbey. It would be better if it were in someone else's hands.' 'Like who?' said Mattimeo 'I don't really know, I just feel too old.' 'I bet Martin knew that this was going to happen and he probably left a clue somewhere.' 'Possibly.' said Constance doubtfully. Anyway, we're going to have tea in the orchard today. Would you mind to help bring out the tables? 'No. I'll be glad to help.' said Mattimeo.  
  
~  
  
For tea, Friar Hugo had made cheesecakes, tea (of course), strawberry cordial for the little ones, pies, pasties, October ale that aged perfectly, greasy cheese and other delicious things. As Mattimeo was happily slurping strawberry cordial, he could hear the merry voices of the people at Redwall: 'Oi love ee hucklyburry poi!' 'Mattimeo don't slurp, it's rude!' and 'Please pass the cheese, old gel'. 'Who are you calling old!" said sister Ceciley. Mattimeo helped himself to some cheese, strawberry cordial and some pie as he watched Basil eating: 'My, this is very good scoff!'. Basil then (for some unknown reason started) devouring everything he could reach, even a leaf that had fallen from a tree. Constance had to dismiss him for having such bad manners. It's a wonder he doesn't get wide Mattimeo thought to himself.  
  
Chapter III  
  
That night, Constance had an odd dream. A mouse in armour approached her. But she knew who it was instantly. It was Martin the Warrior. He told her:  
  
When you solve this riddle,  
You will know the new Abbot is little.  
You will find me when you swim, but not when you swing  
You will find me after the start of the cave  
The start of time, but not the ending  
The end of it,  
I am near,  
The start of myself,  
The end of time is here.  
Oh, is the end of my riddle.  
  
~  
  
She woke the next day, having no memory of what happened last night. She was lying in bed when someone knocked on the door. She said, 'Come in'. Friar Hugo came in with a tray and food on it. 'I smell breakfast!' said Constance. 'Aye, ma'am, I decided to bring you breakfast in bed, since you are in charge of the abbey.' 'Thank you Friar Hugo.' 'Tis nothing ma'am.' 'You can call me Constance, like everyone else does.' 'Sorry, ma'am.. I mean Constance.' fumbled Friar Hugo.  
  
~  
  
Later that day, while sitting in the gatehouse, she heard dibbuns playing outside. 'Loik, Oi be'eth likkle Mathin ee warrir!' said a squirrel. (Translation: Look, I'm the little Martin the warrior!). Then it struck her. Her dream. Martin the warrior had spoken to her. She decided to have dinner in the orchard that night, so she could make her announcement.  
  
~  
  
On the table at dinner, there was deeper an' ever pie, the moles favorite, skilly n' duff, fresh pasties of all kinds, wine, cheese, hotroot soup, the otters favorite, a huge fish that friar Hugo caught from the abbey pond and other (once again) delicious stuff. Just when Basil was noisily slurping his soup, Constance decided to make her announcement. 'Friends, last night, I had a dream. Martin the Warrior spoke to me. Because of that, I have decided to leave the post of 'person in charge of Redwall'. He gave me this riddle:  
  
When you solve this riddle,  
You will know the new Abbot is little  
You will find me when you swim, but not when you swing'  
  
'Then lets go swimming, old gel!' interrupted Basil. 'I don't think Martin meant it literally.' said sister Ceciley. 'Stop interrupting me, please.' said Constance. 'O.K.'  
  
'You will find me after the start of the cave,  
  
The start of time, but not the ending,  
The end of it,  
The eye of magic,  
The start of myself  
The end of time is here'  
Oh, is the end of my riddle."  
  
Chapter IV  
  
The next day, all the redwallers were thinking about the riddle. Basil was the first one to get it. He went storming into Constance's room. 'The got it! I riddle! I mean, the riddle, I've got it!' 'Tell me.' said Constance. 'Well I've only discovered the first line, but I know how the riddle works! The first line was: You will find me when you swim, but not when you swing. The letter M is in swim, but not in swing. So the first letter of the name of the Abbot is M. It's as easy as stealing candied chestnuts from a dibbun, wot wot!' 'I see.(not literally) let's try solving the rest.' 'Well, the letter after the start of the word cave is A, wot?' 'Well-done Basil! Let's see, the start of time is T. Let's see what we have so far: M-A-T. Let's continue.' 'The end of it is T.' 'It must be that.' 'The eye of magic. Wot could that mean?' 'It is possible that Martin meant the I of magic. So it is probably I.' 'It's the only idea for that one, so I guess we'll say it is.' 'Ha! This one is easy! The start of myself is M.' 'The end of time is here. That's easy, E. But wot does he mean by is here?' 'Probably that it is right here in the riddle.' 'Oh, is the end of my riddle. Wot the nut does he mean by that? Shouldn't it be Oh, it's the end my riddle?' 'Martin probably meant the letter O. What does all that spell?' 'Mattimeo!' exclaimed Basil 'Mattimeo!' Said Constance. Martin was right when he said the Abbot is little!"  
  
~  
  
That night in the great hall, Constance and Basil prepared themselves to make the announcement. Basil tried not to eat to messily so that he didn't mess up his fur. They finally announced their discovery: 'Fellow Redwallers, Basil here and I have cracked the riddle.' There was a bunch of muttering. 'It was quite simple actually. You will find me when you swim, but not when you swing. The answer is M. You will find me after the start of a cave. The answer is A. The start of time, but not the ending. The answer is T.' 'The end of it. The answer is T. The eye of magic. The answer is I. The start of myself. The answer is M. The end of time is here. The answer is E. Oh, is the end of my riddle. The answer is O. It spells Mattimeo. Mattimeo is the new abbot.' People were astonished. He was young, even if Martin the Warrior had chosen him.  
  
Chapter V  
  
Mattimeo walked up to Constance. 'I bestow upon you the honour of Redwall.' she said. 'Thank You.' he said shyly. 'Do not thank me, thank Martin.' 'Yes, old chap, thank Martin.' 'Are you going to do something?' asked Bella. 'Yes. I will travel to Salamandastron. I have always wanted to go there. Russano the wise is ruling there right now, if I'm not mistaken?' 'Yes. said Basil. I used to know the old chap.' 'Then you're coming with me.' 'Wot? Who said that I was coming with you?' 'I did.'  
  
~  
  
For Mattimeo and Basil's trip, Friar Hugo had prepared three (if Basil ate his right away) sacks filled with food. Pasties, apples, oat scones, other types of scones, cheese, three gourds of water and three gourds of cordial, bread, and other provisions were put into the sacks. They were planning to leave the morrow. Matthias, his father, even let him take a large dagger from the armouries of Redwall. 'What am I now, the warrior Abbot of Redwall?' he said sarcastically. 'No, it's just to protect yourself, father.' said Matthias. 'For goodness sakes, just because I'm the father abbot, you're still my father. Don't call by that, please.'  
  
~  
  
Later that day, Mattimeo and Basil had just started walking and were nearing the ditch. 'Here's a trick I learned at Salamandastron to get across ditches without getting you r paws wet, old chap.' Basil took a fair sized stick and took several steps back. He lunged towards the ditch and planted it in the middle of it. He started flying across and for some reason cried out ' Eulaliaaaa!'. But suddenly, the pole snapped, making Basil plummet into the mud in the ditch. 'I knew I shouldn't have trusted that old stick.' he said. Mattimeo did the same but before he jumped, he checked the sturdiness of his sick. He got across successfully. When he got on the other side, he helped Basil out of the ditch. 'Say, old chap, do you think that we could stop and have lunch?' 'Of course not! he laughed. We left the abbey five minutes ago!'  
  
~  
  
Chapter VI  
  
Basil and Mattimeo were now strolling in the woods naming flowers as they went along. -'Look! A crocus!' -'Over there! Lilacs!' -'Look! An oak!' -'That's not a flower, Basil! The narrator stated specifically that we were naming flowers.' -'Doesn't matter!' -'Yes it does!' -'No it does'- Basil was interrupted by a screeching noise and they both looked up. A huge hawk was plummeting down towards them. -'We're going to die!' cried Basil. - 'Run for cover! I saw a hole in the roots of the oak!' They both plunged into the little hole but then saw that it was not really a hole but a door. 'I can't open it! It's barred!' cried Basil. Just as they thought that they were going to die, Mattimeo took out in the large knife that his father, Matthias, had given to him and tore a hole in the rotting old door. They ran away from the door. 'That (wheeze) was close (wheeze), wot (wheeze) wot!' said a hyperventilating Basil. -'Look at that door!' exclaimed Mattimeo when Basil had stopped. -'I see a rotting old door.' -'Look closer!' -'B-R-O-C-K.Brock, that's all.' -'Don't you know anything about the history of Redwall?' -'Well. yes.' -'Brock means Brockhall! Just the rest of it has been erased! Brockhall, in the giant oak! We have just found it! It's been lost for years now!' -'Ooh, that Brockhall.' -'Do you know what that means?' -'No.' -'We've been going the wrong way! Somehow we must have turned around without noticing it!'  
  
~  
  
Chapter VII  
  
When the screeching of the angry (because he didn't get to eat) died down, Mattimeo and Basil decided it would be safe to go out. Except they decided to explore a bit. "-Look at this old chair! It looks pretty comfortable." Just as Basil was about to sit down in the old overstuffed armchair, Mattimeo yelled "Run!" and he ran, oh he ran faster than snail, and jumped over small furniture without hurting his shin! He also rammed the door open which proved he was stronger than an ant!  
  
~  
  
When they were a fair distance from Brockhall, Basil, after he stopped panting, asked "-Why did we run? questioned Basil. -Three adders, attached together in a knot. said Mattimeo out of breathedly (is that even a word?)  
  
-We'd better get back to the abbey old chap, and the other Redwallers of Brockhall. Now they were heading towards Redwall naming the names of trees as they strolled along.  
  
-'An American poplar!' -'Wot??? What is that?' -'I have absolutely no idea why I said that neither what an American poplar is and the tree that I just saw is a beech tree.' -'I shall just ignore what you said because it made absolutely no sense.' said Basil.  
  
When they finally got back to the abbey, Constance said: -'Say, what are you two doing here?' -'Umm, we got a bit lost and had to come back.' replied Basil. -'But we found Brockhall!' exclaimed Mattimeo.'  
  
~  
  
Chapter VIII  
  
(Utter silence)  
  
"Then we should go explore it!" exclaimed a hedgehog. There were murmurs of agreement throughout the Redwallers. '-Impossible, said Mattimeo. -'Why not?' piped up a fat dormouse named Brimble. -'There are three adders living in there, tied into a knot, and we had to run out immediately.' -'Does anybody have an idea?' yelled Constance. -'Burr, oi have yon idee.' -'What is it, Soilclaw?' -'Moi ancestoris, Urthclaw, oince mode an tunel an flood' out yon vermin.' -'And how would we do it?' she questioned him. -'Ma'am, I think I know what he's talking about. Long ago, there lived an evil wildcat. Her name was Tsarmina. The woodlanders sent Martin, Gonff, and Dinny to get reinforcements from Boar, Bella's Father. But they didn't seem to come back. So after a couple of seasons of waiting, they decided to take action. So they flooded them out by digging three tunnels from the river Moss. But there wasn't enough water that was falling into the three tunnels. But then Martin and co. (He got reinforcements but not Boar) came back on a ship they had stolen from vermin and sunk it right at the flood tunnels and it kind of blocked the river Moss and a lot of water poured down the flood tunnels and the cat got flooded out and etc.' said Rollo. -'We could try that' replied Constance.  
  
~  
  
The planning was umm. being planned and Foremole was trying to decide who, out of his moles, should dig the flood tunnels 


End file.
